The chief of the Washington State Patrol was in Vancouver on Monday to present awards for service to district volunteers, staff members and troopers on behalf of the regional state patrol.
District 5 commander Capt. James Riley told troopers, district staff and family attending the barbecue and awards ceremony that some award recipients would be unable to join them.
“The Washington State Patrol never shuts down,” he said. “They’re out there grinding away right now.”
Vancouver-based District 5 includes Clark, Cowlitz, Lewis, Klickitat and Skamania counties.
Chief John Batiste presented the award for Detachment of the Year to Detachment 9, which is based in Vancouver and staffed by Sgt. Jason Cuthbert and troopers Jason Gainer, Todd Gates, Matt Hughes, Bill Jordan and Steve Robley.
Gates also was honored as the district’s Trooper of the Year, along with a certificate and commemorative coin for a Collision Investigation Award, which go to troopers who investigate 125 percent or more of the average number of crashes checked out by troopers in their patrol area. Gates investigated 100 collisions in 2015 around the Vancouver area.
Hughes also won a Collision Investigation Award, and the DUI Award, for making 99 intoxicated driving arrests in 2015.
Also earning Collision Investigation Awards were troopers Brian Forsberg, Chad Prentice, Daniel Merritt, Nick Macomber, Kori Johnson, Michael Farkas, Torson Iverson, Brian Ashley, Randy Cashatt and Justin Shaffer.
Trooper Mike Johnson won the Speed Award. Riley said Johnson made contact with 2,489 suspected speeders in 2015, with a 92 percent enforcement rate. He also earned the Total Violators Award, having made contact with 2,583 violators while out on the road in 2015.
Special recognition was bestowed upon Michelle Pardue for her help in organizing the Target Zero Awards Ceremony in Lewis County, and to Trooper Mike Herron, for his 37 years of service to the state patrol. Herron was hired in March 1979.
The district recognized Trooper Evan Clark as Certified Technical Specialist of the Year, Debe Moe as Field Operation Bureau Civil Service Employee of the Year, and it honored Trooper Nick Jennings with the Looking Beyond the Traffic Stop Award.
The district also honored Anna Laudenshlager as District 5 Communication Officer of the Year, Jason Dunn as Crime Lab Division Employee of the Year and Gary Krause with the his work in the Commercial Vehicle Division.
Batiste presented five Volunteer Service Awards: Bil Aull, Linda James and Janet Karcher were recognized for their help with District 5’s license investigation unit. The unit is responsible for ensuring drivers are being honest with their plates and licenses, including tracking motorists who live in Washington yet retain Oregon plates.
The district also gave out volunteer awards to honor members of its chaplaincy program — chaplains Mark Hoeffner and Flip Eiland — and their efforts to support troopers and help with notifying next of kin following traffic deaths.
Trooper Will Finn earned the district’s Excellence in Safety Award. Finn, also the district’s public information officer, snapped a selfie with Batiste upon receipt of his award.
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Correction appended: This article originally misspelled Steve Robley’s name and misstated who won the Crime Lab Division Employee of the Year award, District 5 Communication Officer of the Year award and Commercial Vehicle Division’s annual award.
